Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1887-12-16
BLAINE HEARD FROM.
He Handles Cleveland'S Mes
sage without Gloves.

New YORK, Dec. 7 -~The 1ra6-
une's Paris cores podent cables that
paper a report giving the views OF
Blaine on the Presidents message.
Blaine said to the Tribune represen-
tative: Il have been reading an alb
stract of the Presidents message and
have been especially interested in the
comments of London papers. Those
papers all assume to declare that the
message is a free trade manifesto and
evidently are anticipating an eRlarg-
ed market for English fabrics IN the
United States as a consequence OF
the Presidents recommendations;
perhaps that fact stamped the charac-
ter of the message more clearly than
any words of mine can."
| "You don't mean actual free trade
without duty?" queried the reporter.
"No," replied Mr.. Blaine, "nor do
the London papers mean that. They
simply mean that the President has
recommended what in the United
States is known as a revenue tariff,
rejecting the protective feature as an
object and not even permitting pro-
lection to result freely as an incident
to revenue duties"
| do not know that / clearly under
stand that last point" said the report
er.
"I mean,n said Blaine, that for the
first time in the history of the United
States the President recommends re-
tanning the internal tax in order that
the tariff may be forced down even
below the fair revenue standard. He
recommends that the tax on tobacco
be retained and thus that many mill
ions annually shall be levied on do
mestic products which might far better
come from a tariff on foreign fabrics" "
Blaine favors the repeal of the tobacco
tax. He said: II should urge that it
be done at once, even before the
Christmas holidays. II would, more
over, materially lessen the price of the
article to consumers Of tobacco, to
| millions of men, necessity. The
President calls it luxury. but it is a
luxury in no other sense than tea and
coffee are luxuries. The only excuse
| tor such a tax is the actual necessity
under which the government found it.
self during the war and Immediately
following. TO retain the tax now in
order to destroy the protection which
| would incidentally flow from raising
some amount of money on foreign
imports, is certainly most extraor-
diEary policy for our government"
well then, Mr.. Blaine, would you
advise repeal of the whisky tax al
so?"
mo, Iwould not; other considera-
tions than those of financial admins
tratioD are to be taken into account
with regard to whisky. There is q
moral side to it. To cheaper the
price of whisky is to increase the con-
sumption enormously. There would
be no sense in urging the reform
wrought by high license in many
States if the National Government
neutralizes the good effect by making
whisky within reach of every one at
twenty cents gallon. Whisky
would everywhere be distilled if
the surveillance of the government
were Withdrawn by the remission of
the tax, and illicit sales could not then
be prevented even by policy as rig
| orous and searching as that with
| which Russia pursues the Nihilists.
1t would destroy high license at once
in all the States. Whisky has done q
vast deal of harm in the United
States. l would try to make it do
| some good. would use the tax to
fortify our cities on the seaboard
Never before in the history of the
world has any government allowed
great cities on the seaboard like Phil
adelphia, New York, Boston, Balti-
more, New Orleans and San Francisco
to remain detenceless."
"But, said the reporter, you don't
think we are to have war in any di-
rection?"
Certainly not" said Blaine, "but
we should change remote chance in
to an absolute impossibllity, our weak
and exposed ports should be strong
ly fortified If to-day we had by any
chance, even such war as we bad
with Mexico, our enemy could pro-
cure ironclads in Europe that would
menace our great cities with destruc
ton, or lay them under contribution
"But would not our fortifying now
possibly look as if we expected war;"
"Why should it any more than the
Notifications made seventy or eighty
years ago by our grandfathers when
they guarded themselves against sue
cessful attack from the arm aments OF
that day. We don't ne cessarily ex-
pect burglars because we lock our
doors at night, but if by any possibil-
ity burglar comes it contributes
vastly to our peace of mind and our
sound sleep to feel that he can't get
in,"
Further, Mr.. Blaine informed the
Tribune reporter that he would
maintain the tax on whisky 80 long
as there is whisky to tax, and when
the national government should have
no use for the money, l would divide
the tax among the Federal Union with
specific object of tightening the tax on
real estate The houses and farms
of the whole country pay too large q
proportion of the total taxes If ul
innate relief could be given in tina,
direction it would in my judgement be
wise and and beneficial policy"
| Concerning protection to WOO
growers Mr.. Blaine said, 81 shoulc
seriously object to the repeal OF the
duty on wool. To repeal that would
work great injustice to many inter
ests and would seriously discourage
what we should earnestly encourage
namely. the sheep culture among
farmers Throughout the union. r,
break down wool growing and be de
pendent on foreign countries for the
blanket under which we sIeeI
and the coat that covers our backs, il
not good policy for a national gov
ernment to enforce.
Attention is given in the report tf